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Okay so I use this software called Gameranger to play my game Age of Empires (conqueror's expansion) and usually , there is this issue that happens. If your name appears in italic while you're in a room which you've hosted or joined , you will basically be kicked off because an italic player is never able to actually enter a game and play it. The situation is something like this :

enter image description here

A thing to notice here is that although I'm the non-italic one (FateDontExist) , it's the other way around for everyone else. As it's a common gameranger issue , I've done a fair bit of googling and trying various "fixes" but nothing works.

I have been playing on Gameranger for over 3 months , and I have faced this problem in the past , but I was usually able to solve it using a VPN ( that's the fix that no longer works)

A common fix on the internet is port forwarding your router , but I never used a router in the first place , I only use my mobile hotspot to connect to internet on my PC. I tried disabling , re-enabling the firewall , changing the DNS server manually , reset my network adapter , I even reset the PC . But nothing worked.I am still italic in all the room I join . I was able to become non italic by simply using a vpn client but it doesn't help me anymore. I have no clue what to do anymore. I have ran out of ideas. Can someone help me come up with a fix ? And please understand that I can't afford to get a new connection altogether or switch to wired internet.

Also , I tried this with two sim cards, i.e. 2 ISPs , and the same problem. I wanna add that this problem went away on both these ISPs on using a vpn client , but not anymore. What can be done ?

Also , if you need any more details , I'll be happy to give them to you. Also this is my first question on here so apologies for any noob mistakes.Thank you.

EDIT : To the one downvoter , care mentioning why you downvoted ? All I'm trying is to fix my problem. If you needed more details you could've asked for it. Or if there's anything wrong with the way I have posted this , just tell me before blatantly downvoting like that. I have already said I can improve the question or provide more details.

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    Don't stress too much about the votes - people on this site can be unnecessarily hostile.
    – Karu
    Commented Jan 5, 2021 at 14:06
  • 1
    Gameranger article mentions firewall issues: "you can fix the problem by configuring the router to enable Universal Plug and Play (UPnP), or manually do port forwarding for UDP port 16000". Do you understand this advice? If you need help, let us know your router model. Also, you might need to ask your ISP for a static IP (might be payable).
    – harrymc
    Commented Jan 5, 2021 at 15:47
  • @harrymc I do understand the advice, and I did call up my ISP and ask them for a static ip, but I guess they do not provide it since they had no clue what I was talking about. There has to be another way around hasn't it? (apart from using the VPNs)
    – Tanuj
    Commented Jan 6, 2021 at 5:13

1 Answer 1

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If your ISP does not supply a static IP, this means that it is doing NAT and your IP is shared between you and other subscribers. This means that you don't have your own IP address through which outsiders could connect to your computer, so no firewall configuration can help.

The VPN solved the issue by furnishing you your own IP address, but apparently something changed on their side and this also doesn't work any more.

What I can suggest:

  • Ensure that your firewall and that of the router allow UDP port 16000 and UPnP (link).
    For Windows see How to enable UPnP in Windows.
  • Contact your VPN Support and ask what has changed, or ask for a static IP.
  • Try another VPN provider.
  • Move to an ISP that can provide a static IP.
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  • Dynamic IP means the public IP is assigned by DHCP. This does not equal a NAT.
    – svin83
    Commented Jan 6, 2021 at 15:11
  • @svin83: You didn't understand.
    – harrymc
    Commented Jan 6, 2021 at 15:26
  • I do understand. It seems you don't.
    – svin83
    Commented Jan 6, 2021 at 15:27
  • @svin83: No, you didn't understand why an ISP wouldn't give a static IP, nor why this would cause the poster these problems. You could better show your knowledge by giving a better answer, than by downvoting.
    – harrymc
    Commented Jan 6, 2021 at 15:32
  • Most ISPs use dynamic public IPs because their pools are limited. This does not mean they NAT customer connections. NAT is not the same thing.
    – svin83
    Commented Jan 6, 2021 at 15:37

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